1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to a method and apparatus for displaying data within a data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for displaying and manipulating dynamic data in a data processing system.
2. Description of Related Art
Internet, also referred to as an “internetwork”, is a set of computer networks, possibly dissimilar, joined together by means of gateways that handle data transfer and the conversion of messages from the sending network to the protocols used by the receiving network (with packets if necessary). When capitalized, the term “Internet” refers to the collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols.
The Internet has become a cultural fixture as a source of both information and entertainment. Many businesses are creating Internet sites as an integral part of their marketing efforts, informing consumers of the products or services offered by the business or providing other information seeking to engender brand loyalty. Many federal, state, and local government agencies are also employing Internet sites for informational purposes, particularly agencies which must interact with virtually all segments of society such as the Internal Revenue Service and secretaries of state. Providing informational guides and/or searchable databases of online public records may reduce operating costs. Further, the Internet is becoming increasingly popular as a medium for commercial transactions.
Currently, the most commonly employed method of transferring data over the Internet is to employ the World Wide Web environment, also called simply “the Web”. Other Internet resources exist for transferring information, such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Gopher, but have not achieved the popularity of the Web. In the Web environment, servers and clients effect data transaction using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a known protocol for handling the transfer of various data files (e.g., text, still graphic images, audio, motion video, etc.). Information is formatted for presentation to a user by a standard page description language, the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). In addition to basic presentation formatting, HTML allows developers to specify “links” to other Web resources identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A URL is a special syntax identifier defining a communications path to specific information. Each logical block of information accessible to a client, called a “page” or a “Web page”, is identified by a URL. The URL provides a universal, consistent method for finding and accessing this information, not necessarily for the user, but mostly for the user's Web “browser”. A browser is a program capable of submitting a request for information identified by a URL at the client machine. Retrieval of information on the Web is generally accomplished with an HTML-compatible browser. The Internet also is widely used to transfer applications to users using browsers. With respect to commerce on the Web, individual consumers and business use the Web to purchase various goods and services. In offering goods and services, some companies offer goods and services solely on the Web while others use the Web to extend their reach.
A number of users use the Internet to obtain data either on a periodic or continuous manner. For example, stockbrokers and investors will receive a stream of data containing quotes for various stocks. This data stream is received and displayed on a display in the form of a “ticker tape” that scrolls across the screen. The scrolling information is such that the information received in the data stream is displayed a portion at a time with the portion of the information moving or scrolling across the screen. The information in the data stream is dynamic because the data is updated to contain changes in the data over time. For example, data for a particular stock quote received in the data stream will be received again with any changes for the particular stock quote.
Often times, a user will desire to continue to see a selected portion of the information rather than have the information scroll off the screen and wait for it to appear at a later time. Such a display is not possible with the ticker tape type display. Thus, it would be advantageous to have an improved method and apparatus for displaying dynamic information.